


This Is a Story, About a Boy (Nick)Named Lucky

by Amavinca (Wes)



Category: RWBY
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Concussions, Confessions, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Flirting, Kissing, M/M, Mild Body Worship, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romantic Soulmates, Scar Stories, Scars, Teasing, The Ace Ops are FRIENDS, an explosion, dumb college kids, fairgameweek2020, soulmate-identifying items, swapping weapons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23183392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wes/pseuds/Amavinca
Summary: (Add. Tags: Yes that is a reference to a Britney song, I love her and I would live my best life for her, anyway, Fair Game Week 2020 Baby!!!, yes this was an impromptu join, but I got an idea so I HAD to, tags should be properly updated now ^^, somehow this became 14K words, but only cuz Soulmates is 8K jesus, rolled up late with starbucks then used the power of espresso to actually finish lol)Day 1: Flirting:Qrow flirts first and Clover is f l u s t e r e d.Day 2: Date:Qrow gets Clover a new pin.Day 3: Weapons:The Boys try to use each others' weapons and fail miserably, kinda lolDay 4: Soulmates:I've managed to put feathers into a Soulmate AU.Day 5: Comfort:Clover hears some stories about Qrow's scars.Day 6: Atlas Ball:The second time Qrow's there to see it, hethinkshe can beat Clover to ask him to go.Day 7: Free Day:Clover discovers Qrow can turn into a bird.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Weiss Schnee/Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Marrow Amin/Jaune Arc, Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi, Robyn Hill/Winter Schnee
Comments: 40
Kudos: 159





	1. Day 1: Flirting (aka, Don't Let Harriet Hear-riet)

**Author's Note:**

> This is an impromptu LEAP into Fair Game week, because I wanted to participate but I'm not good at drawing them/art takes time, and then suddenly I played in character and my DM gave me INSPIRATION and then I ended up here. 
> 
> I love ??? Fair Game???? I haven't loved a ship this much since Ladybug/Nuts and Dolts because deadass Qrow is one of my favorite characters. I didn't expect to like him as much because of his intro, but he ended up being pretty relatable and I??? Fell in love??? I have a thing for fictional guys who hide their traumas with humor and wear red okay look just cuz Dante's also my husband doesn't mean anything I just—it's how I cope okay????
> 
> jk jk jk haha But I really love it when my favorite characters are happy, and because ep12 was a stupidass decision made by the council I'm gonna move on like it never happened. 
> 
> Happy Fair Game week everybody!! I hope I can keep up some steam and finish the week, I should have been planning for this Weeks ago but hahaha time and motivation is a silly thing isn't it. Check out all the content on Tumblr/Twitter with #FairGameWeek2020 ^^ It's gonna be lit!!!

“Deities, I can not _handle_ this.”

Clover wasn’t storming, per say, but he was definitely coming into the room at a faster than normal pace. He was covering his red face, completely out of character, but it did nothing to hide his blush when even the tips of his ears were red.

Elm and Vine were the only ones in the Ace Ops meeting room. They had some time before their briefing began, and the other two members would be there shortly. Clover breathed a sigh upon only seeing them.

“What’s got you in a tizzy?” Elm asked, resting her cheek on her palm.

“Is it Mr. Branwen?” Vine tilted his head.

“You can just call him Qrow,” Clover said, cracking his fingers around his eyes so they could see him.

“And yes, it was him.”

“What did he do this time?” Elm smirked at him. Clover grumbled under his breath and she just laughed.

“Nothing. Nothing at all." 

"How red you are says otherwise," Vine teased. Clover flopped into his chair with a groan. 

"How inappropriate, on a scale of 1 to 10?" Elm asked, earning a chuckle from Vine across the table. Clover groaned again, his shoulders squeezing up to his ears and then dropping. They'd never seen Clover act like this, he was never the type to get embarrassed or tongue tied. 

"Like, a two. It was really nothing, it's just—" Clover leaned forward on his elbows, fingers weaved together. His blush had died down but not completely faded. He wasn't looking at them as he continued, "can I get a little graphic?" 

"Just don't let Harriet hear," Vine tutted. Elm nodded in agreement. 

"Or the nieces, not like they'll come in, but still." 

"He just... I like it when Qrow's forward and he isn't often; he's pretty reserved in Atlas. But recently he's been more confident, which don't get me wrong, is absolutely sexy. It's just—he doesn't really have the concept of time or place—" 

Elm snorted out loud, covering her mouth with her hand. Still, the sheer jovial light in her eyes couldn't be missed. 

"Who did he flirt in front of. Tell me it was Schnee. Please say it was her." 

"And Ironwood. And Robyn," Clover confirmed. 

"So? You've done the same to him, what made this time so different?" Vine said with a shrug, mirroring Elm’s earlier pose by resting his cheek on his palm. 

"Everyone heard him slap my ass." 

Elm's mouth dropped open, but she couldn't stop the smile that quickly morphed into an overly-amused guffaw. Even Vine was chuckling, now copying Elm's earlier action of covering his face with his hand. Clover just rolled his eyes at the two of them and waved a hand. 

"It was much more mortifying in person. He really said to Ironwood's face 'mess up, my ass' and then hit me. I don't even know if they finished the conversation, I just came here—"

"That's not like you," Harriet said as she entered the room. She plopped into her chair and propped a leg up on it, resting her arm across her knee. Then, she regarded her captain with a cool smirk. 

"Never thought you'd pass up the chance to m—" 

"Please don't finish that sentence. You're _right_ but you have no reason to call me out like this." 

"Still. Geddit, Captain Ebi," she said easily. Clover just frowned at her, but the intimidation factor was lost when his face was blazing red. 

"Told you not to let Harriet hear," Elm snorted. As she spoke, Marrow finally decided to join them, taking his sweet time to take his seat next to Elm. 

"Let's just start the meeting," Clover muttered in return. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The entire conversation was probably something like 
> 
> Ironwood: saying something important about an upcoming mission  
> Winter: Just remember, we can't mess this up.  
> Qrow: Ah, something something, 'mess up' my ass *slaps The Ass  
> Clover:  
> Ironwood  
> Winter:  
> Robyn:  
> Qrow: Lmao what were we saying


	2. Day 2: Date (aka, How Did They Both Land Dashing Dates?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the story behind this one is that my dad was looking for a collar/tie bar pin thing and while I was trying to find one for him I found the attached pretty pin from aliexpress and I just.,,.., It's so Clover, it's Perfect. There was a black gem variation as well, and part of me wanted to pick it because Qrow's color is black and it would have been like them together and all that which is CUTE, but I felt that the white gem variation match Clover more.

"Qrow, are you ready?" 

"Yeah, just a sec," Qrow called back. He finished slicking his hair back with gel, washing his hands to be sure any of the excess product was off his skin. One more check in the mirror, one more adjustment to his collar, one more tug of his jacket, and yeah... he was as ready to go as he could be. He exited the bathroom, passing by his bed on his way to his dorm's main room. The little green box sat at the end of the bed, placed out earlier so there was no way he could forget it. Taking it in hand, he made his way out to the main room where Clover was waiting. 

"Alright. I'm ready." 

Even though he projected a casual air, inside his heart was racing. It had been so long since he'd dressed up, would it even be okay for him to go to a high-end restaurant with his top to buttons open? It was strange not to have the weight of his tattered cape at his shoulders, and though he missed the comfort, the red pocket square matched the color well... it popped? Was that what Weiss had said? She also mentioned it brought out his eyes with all the rest of the black he was wearing. And he still had the box in his hand, crap, should he have hid it? It was supposed to be a surprise, but—

Clover taking in a sharp breath halted all his thoughts. Clover stood up, and _Deities,_ how had Qrow landed such a handsome date. He wore a cream colored suit, with a green tie and vest in matching shades and patterns. Maybe Weiss _was_ right about the whole color thing, it matched his eyes and the green tips of his hair so well Qrow didn't know where to look. His mouth went dry as Clover stepped closer to him, a hand snaking around his waist to gently pull him flush. He should say something maybe, about how good he looked, how well he cleaned up, about the surprise, anything—

"You look _so_ good," Clover breathed out. Qrow couldn't help but lean into his palm when Clover gently cupped his cheek with his other hand.

"Looked in a mirror lately?" Qrow shot back, but a genuine grin still spread across his face.

"I have a surprise for you," Clover said. Qrow's brows raised slightly.

"Really. I have one for you too, what a coincidence."

"Then let's trade. You first?"

"Don't mind if I do," Qrow said, uncurling his fingers from around the box. All his earlier thinking just felt like wasted time now, he couldn't help but be so natural with Clover. Things just... flowed with him. It was easy to live in the moment, not get lost to overthinking or paranoia about his Semblance. With Clover Qrow didn't have to live on the edge.

Thin, deft, calloused fingers pinned the brooch to his lapel. The darkest green leaf somehow perfectly matched the rest of Clover's green ensemble, making Qrow chuckle. As he smoothed his hands over Clover's chest, he mumbled, "lucky pick. The colors match."

Clover reached up with the hand formerly at Qrow's jaw, pulling at his lapel gently to look at the gift. His brows raised and his face lit up, and then he was leaning in to kiss Qrow softly. 

"I love it. Thank you, Qrow, it's perfect," Clover spoke against his lips as soon as they broke. Qrow grinned up at him, flicking the new pin lightly with a finger. 

"Well, yanno, that Ace Ops uniform was looking bland without your old one. Figured I could help you spice it up a little bit." 

"You have _great_ timing, I was just thinking of getting a new one too," Clover said with a small laugh. He pecked Qrow's lips again, then pulled away just slightly to retrieve something from inside his coat pocket. 

"Unfortunately I haven't seen you wear ties often, so I don't know how much use you'll get out of this, but..." Clover presented his gift. A red satin tie, with black feather designs across it. Almost like a paisley pattern, but with much tighter knit bundles. It was clipped with a small silver tie clip, engraved with the same design running down the blade of Harbinger. Even the grooves where they blade curved had been etched in; where had Clover even gotten it? It was so delicately made, and by the looks of it, real silver, polished and new to the world. A keepsake, for sure. 

"I hope you'll wear it tonight at least?" 

"And cover up? Here I thought you liked me teasing," Qrow tutted, but he was already buttoning his shirt up properly. Then, he took the tie clip from the bundle, turning it over fondly in his hands. 

"You'll have to tie it for me. It's been a while since I've worn one." 

Clover chuckled at his antics. Still, he looped the fabric around Qrow's neck and went about tucking it under his collar, beginning to tie it while Qrow still played with the clip. Even though he didn't wear ties regularly, he could still clip the tie pin to his usual vest's collar. 

"Well, you'd have had to button up anyway, the establishment we're going to is hands and face showing only." 

"Not even ankles?" 

"Oh, Mr. Branwen, that's naughty, save it for behind closed doors," Clover teased back. He adjusted the tie as best he could, until Qrow swatted his hands away. Clover watched his hands work, as he unbuttoned his jacket, lined up the tie and clipped it in place, then buttoned his jacket back up and smoothed his clothes out. Clover couldn't help but look him over, _how_ had he landed such a handsome date? Lucky him, indeed.

"Alright, maybe just a little flash later," Qrow winked. He offered his arm, which Clover gladly accepted, and the two headed out of the dorm and down the hall. Once they were outside, Clover lead Qrow to one of the more incognito military vehicles waiting near the entrace, and the two piled in to be on their way for the night.

"You know," Clover started once they were comfortably seated in the back, holding hands, "we both got lucky picking our gifts." 

Qrow raised an eyebrow. Clover winked. 

"Your tie matches your pocket square." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Qrow mentions Clover's old pin, it was a loose reference to my other Fair Game fic What's Upsexy? which has a brief canon rewrite in the notes. TL;DR, Tyrian slipped on ice because of Qrow's semblance when they fought and missed stabbing Clover in the chest, gouging his pin instead. I guess this is a continuation? Kinda not really lol


	3. Day 3: Weapons (aka Oh My God I Want This Twink To Obliterate ME.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why are they trading weps? No reason but curiosity and fun lol Also am I absolutely bullshitting how to control a heavy sword's swings? 100%.

"How do you even use this?"

Clover managed to swing Harbinger, slow to bring the heavy sword up with both hands. Qrow was idly flicking Kingfisher back and forth with an easy motion of his wrist, watching Clover struggle to use the weapon. Qrow could see where his usual form with Kingfish was showing through, and though he was moving the sword with precise target in mind, his lack of speed due to his tight control was evident.

"You've got those big beefy arms, and yet swinging around _my_ weapon is hard for you?" Qrow teased with a roll of his eyes. Collapsing Kingfisher to her travel size, he hooked the weapon to his belt and placed his hands on his hips.

"It's okay to be a little unrestrained with her. Use her momentum to you advantage. You dance at all?" 

"Not really, outside of formal events." 

"I designed Harbinger to be my dance partner. When she moves, I move with her. Sometimes she leads, sometimes I lead. It's all in the footwork. Let me show you." Qrow offered a hand out.

Clover easily passed over the sword and took a step back as Qrow got into a stance. Sword raised in front of him, one hand out, he looked like he was ready to start fencing. He closed his eyes and took a breath, letting a quiet fall over the training room. Then, he sucked in a breath and brought Harbinger in a wide arc, spinning with her into another slash behind him. He pulled her back, slashing across himself in the opposite direction, and then lunged forward, sword out. As he moved, Clover watched his feet and how gracefully he _danced_. Even though Qrow slipped on flat ground and tripped over his own feet most of the time, in battle he was perfectly balanced, his toes never so much as touching. The way he moved was practiced, but experienced; years of real battles outshined trained forms, and the unorthodox blocks and mix of controlling Harbinger and being controlled by her showed a confidence Qrow had only gained through years of battling on his own. 

Qrow's dance came to a halt with a flare of his cape. He stood still for a moment, then stood up and met Clover's eyes again. Handing back his weapon by the hilt with one hand, he said, "see? Like that." 

"I see, but I don't really get it," Clover said with a shake of his head. Qrow chuckled and let him take Harbinger back. 

"Go ahead and try it out. I think I can figure out how to use Kingfisher quickly enough," Qrow said, unclipping the weapon from his belt. With a flick of his wrist, he unfurled the fishing rod, then draped it over his shoulder. 

"She can get a little... tangled if you're not careful," Clover warned. Qrow shrugged. It was simultaneously sexy and mildly offending how overconfident Qrow's smirk and casual manner were. 

"I was a teacher, I've had to deal with _way_ more unruly weapons. Come on. Just one round is all I need."

"I'd hope not," Clover quipped, and then dashed forward. 

He swung low first, with both hands, but Qrow quickly jumped back. Clover drew Harbinger around his head and brought her back down, though he wasn't able to handle her weight; she clanged against the ground, drawing a cackle out of Qrow. 

"Maybe you're giving her a little _too_ much control. Like I said, remember the footwork, and use your core to help stop her. Lean in if you need," Qrow guided. As he talked, Clover engaged his core more, finding it a little easier to pull back on Harbinger's swings so she didn't just hit the ground again. He drew her across his body and went for a jab forward, lunging into it like he was fencing. Qrow easily flicked Kingfisher up and stepped out of the way. He lunged forward to match, using his free hand to hook Clover's collar. An easy shove to his side was all it took to push Clover off balance; he stumbled forward, Kingfisher's line holding him upright so he didn't fully fall. 

"Footwork, Boyscout. We have some work to do," Qrow tutted good-naturedly. He pulled Clover up and steadied him, a hand on his shoulder. It almost reminded him of the mines, but in reverse. Clover rolled his eyes at that but handed Harbinger back by the hilt. 

"I think I'll stick to Kingfisher as my primary weapon, thank you. But it was a fun exercise. I have a solid respect for how you fight." 

"It's just years of practice and training." 

"Lucky for me, I have a good teacher." 

Before Qrow could try and deflect again, Clover leaned in to kiss his cheek. Qrow made a small noise but didn't object, mirroring the action before Clover could fully pull away. They traded back weapons and started to exit the training room. 

Before they got to the door, Qrow took Clover by the hand and pulled him to a stop. He was smirking again, that devious little twinkle in his eye that made it abundantly clear who Yang and Ruby got it from. Clover liked that Qrow had become more comfortable around him, had become less cynical now that they were dating, and now that they had beaten Salem back. Clover squeezed his hand and turned to face him. 

"What's up?"

"Wanna see a party trick?" 

"Sure." Before Clover could say anything else or even make a joke, Qrow swooped in close to him. He bent at the knees and wrapped his arms around Clover's thighs, just under his butt, and then lifted him straight up with a grunt. Clover had to brace his hands against Qrow's shoulders so he didn't lose balance and lurch forward. 

"Wh-Qrow!" Clover couldn't get more than his name out, too busy laughing. Qrow easily walked in a circle, ending with a spin before letting him slide down to the ground by the door. That grin still played on his lips, arms draped loosely around his waist. 

"Pretty good, huh?" 

Clover whistled at him in answer. "All that time swinging around Harbinger's good for something, it seems." 

"How else am I supposed to train to pick up Ruby and Yang at their ages?" 

"Bench me sometime, it'll be good practice," Clover answered with a smile and a wink. "Between you, Elm, and Yang, let's see who can bench more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Usually I see Clover picking up Qrow, so I thought I'd add some more content to the reverse scenario ^^


	4. Day 4: Soulmates (aka, I Could Have Kissed You Weeks Ago.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soulmate AU where you have one trinket/item from your Soulmate that is undeniably theirs. If you lose it, it will always come back, and when you find your soulmate, they’re the only one who can trade items without them returning. No one else in the world has the same item, items can be similar but they're not exactly the same/have specific differences. 
> 
> Anyway, it's a 5+1 about Clover seeing these exchanges and realizing who his Man is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UM???? THIS CHAP GOT TO 8K WORDS???? HOLY SHIT????? 
> 
> I told this to some friends in a RWBY AU planning chat and we immediately started bouncing ideas for our OCs lmAO So I guess it's a hit?? I've never written a soulmate AU before! So I had a fun time planning the rules of this world (even though it's very simplistic). Also figuring out what other items other ships had lol So tags added as necessary? This kind of became a 5+1 so lol.,,.. 
> 
> While I was writing it, I accidentally closed the tab and lost about 150 words for the Guard Dogs segment. It's not the worst lose I've ever had but damn if I didn't have a heart attack, especially because I spent all of yesterday and today working on this! I still had a lot of fun though—and was converted to a Guard Dogs shipper in the process???? Fair Game be like "3.99 with a free side of Jaune's bi." But I guess like cool bird dad like son lol
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's definitely the longest one but I had a lot of fun planning and writing it ^^

**1: Armband, Lotus Charm**

"Nora! Did you eat all the jelly again?" Ren called from the kitchen.

"Maybe!" Nora yelled back from outside in the dining area. It was early in the morning, and Ren, feeling homesick, had been given permission to use one of the spare kitchens to cook. Clover had just happened to see teams RWBY and JNPR, sans their guardian, piling into the room, and decided to pop in for a moment to join them; Ren had ended up asking him to take Qrow breakfast, and since he had the morning off, it worked out perfectly. Also, the team's chef had thrown in a free cup of coffee, so he couldn't say no even if he wanted to. 

Ren sighed in defeat, one hand going to his collar and the other crossing his body as he weighed his options. From under his shirt, he pulled a small charm out, rubbing it with his thumb. Clover tilted his head. 

"Lucky charm?" He asked. Ren blinked, his thumb stopping. 

"Oh. Uh, no. Not really," he said after taking a moment to register the question. He didn't start rubbing it again, but he didn't tuck it away either. 

"I'm sure you've heard of Items?" Ren asked. 

"Who hasn't? It's how you're supposed to find your soulmate and what-not," Clover said with a shrug. "I'm not too fond of believing in all that anymore, honestly."

Ren hummed in acknowledgement, then said, "this one is Nora's. We met when we were kids, but didn't try trading until we left our hometown for Vale. That armband she wears, the metal one with her emblem? That was mine. At first we traded as a child's promise to stay together forever," he turned his face as he said it, as if shrugging off an embarrassing childhood memory, but quickly looked back at Clover to continue, "but we got separated once, in a cave. I was scared that my Item would come back to me if something happened to her, that we'd be split up forever and I'd never see her again. But imagine my surprise when it didn't return! We were definitely far enough from each other for the Items to come back because the tunnel split off in opposite ways. But because her charm didn't return, we knew that it was more than a promise." 

"Re~n!" Nora sang, bursting into the kitchen. She had three jars in her arms, all assorted jams. She brought them over to him and placed them down next to his plate of steaming pancakes. 

"I went down to the dining hall real quick and got these from the chef," she explained with a grin. 

"To make up for the rest of the jelly you ate?" Ren teased. 

"Ma~ybe," she sing-songed back. He rolled his eyes at her, tucking his charm back into his collar and used his now free hand to boop her nose. 

"Thank you. I'm almost done, if you want to wait for first dibs." 

"How do you always know _exactly_ what I'm thinking?" Nora said, booping his nose right back with her's. He chuckled at her and gave her a soft kiss to her forehead. 

"Should I leave you two then? I can come back later," Clover asked with a smirk. Ren almost jumped, face flushed lightly when he turned back to the stove. 

"It's okay, I can pack Qrow's breakfast and send it along with you in a second—" 

"No need," Qrow's raspy voice called from the door. He was still ruffled, sleep heavy in his eyes as he yawned deeply and stretched his shoulders. 

"Good morning, uncle Qrow," Nora greeted. Clover had noticed that not only had she taken up the same title Ruby and Yang used, but some of the other kids too. Qrow ruffled her hair gently as he passed her for the coffee machine. 

"Morning to you too, Nora. Thanks for putting on a pot, Ren." 

"Of course. Weiss asked as well." 

"Gonna join us?" Qrow shot towards Clover as he poured himself a fresh cup. Clover shrugged. Then, he pushed off the counter he'd been leaning on and moved to pour himself a second cup.

"Sure. I have no meetings until the afternoon, might as well enjoy the morning with my partner." 

Qrow hummed into his cup, but Clover didn't notice the sharp breath first. Nora clearly shot him a look, but quickly turned back to Ren to talk to him as he cooked, so he and Qrow lulled into comfortable silence while they drank their coffee. 

Clover wasn't too partial to believing in soulmates. Too many people had asked to trade items with him, just to see if they'd get lucky, and it had worn him down. The small black feather, red-tipped and not from a bird native to Atlas, sat in his breast pocket. Frayed barely and torn in one place, but never more damaged than that. He'd stopped trying to trade it years ago too. It had become its own lucky charm of sorts to him. Glancing up from his mug to Ren, still cooking, and Nora, now with her hands around his waist and chin over his shoulder (she had to stand on her tiptoes), and then to Qrow, he couldn't help but think of the feather. Red and black. A bird feather, like a crow's. Sure, he'd already maybe starting liking Qrow as a little more than just a partner. But that didn't mean they were soulmates. Besides, just because an Item didn't stay didn't mean he couldn't still _like_ Qrow and they couldn't _try_ dating. But it would be nice if their Items matched. If they were Soulmates. The possibility, he figured it was pretty low. Still... he was lucky, that was his _thing._

* * *

**2: The Toolkit and its Tool**

"Penny!" 

Clover followed Ruby to where the ground had cratered with the android's impact. Her Aura flickered in a light green around her, as opposed to the usual shiny copper of it being unharmed. She was sitting up slowly, her eyes literally spinning as she shook her head. But as soon as she registered Ruby's voice, her eyes focused again, and a smile split her face. 

"Ruby! Salutations!" 

"I saw you fall, are you okay?" Ruby asked as soon as she kneeled by her friend. Clover stood next to them, surveying the damage. Just the crater in the the street, it seemed, and some dust in the air. Penny looked alright as well, just a little rattled from the fall, and the citizens gathering around just seemed a little rattled from someone literally falling from the sky. Clover took to doing damage control, beginning to assure them all was fine and that Penny had just run out of fuel while flying. 

"I was so excited to go I forgot to refuel. I'm sorry for the trouble," Penny apologized. Ruby just shook her head and offered a hand. 

"I thought I was the airhead. Well, no harm, no foul, I guess. We can walk back." 

Penny took Ruby's hand. As she stood, energetic as always, she yelped and buckled to the ground. Ruby cried her name, making Clover turn around. He quickly moved to Penny's side, kneeling next to her. 

"Ruby, what happened?" 

"I don't know, Penny just fell—" she was fretting over her, not knowing where to put her hands. Penny grinned up at them, and sat back to show them her knee. He fabric and synthetic skin had been split open, revealing the gears and casing of her knee joint. Clover wasn't that good with technology, but he could tell that the way the metal was gouged meant that the gears inside were definitely jammed. It was sparking green with energy, Penny's Aura swirling around it like it was trying to heal her. Aura couldn't fix inorganic damage, he'd need to call Pietro. 

"It'll be fine... though I might have to reschedule our rendezvous, I'm sorry Ruby..." 

"It's okay!! Actually, I might be able to help you fix it right here," Ruby said. She pulled a toolkit from her belt, a small grey pouch with a gold zipper. When she opened it, all the tools were black, but still matte coated and unworn, like they'd never been used at all. One tool, an L wrench, was missing. 

"You keep a toolkit on you?" Clover asked, curious. 

"Yup!" Ruby had already set to work on fixing Penny's knee, deft fingers taking extra care to remove her kneecap and get to the gears inside. As she worked, she kept talking. "Dad says it's my Item. I use it to do on-the-go upkeep to Crescent Rose and the rest of my team's weapons, and even though I use it all the time it never wears or strips. It's actually really handy!" 

"Even with a missing tool?" 

"Weeeell, not many of us have hexagonal socketed screws in our weapons. I do, and Nora does, but the tool that _would_ fit here would probably be too small for the ones I use on Crescent Rose," Ruby explained. She used the tweezers to pluck out gravel debris from Penny's knee, earning a sigh of relief as a particularly large chunk pulled free. She smiled up at Penny, getting a fond gaze in return. But then, as Penny glanced to the tool kit, her eyes widened and her expression shifted. 

"I think I have the missing tool," she exclaimed suddenly, her hands jolting to life. Ruby pulled her hands away so she didn't accidentally pull anything vital free accidentally. Penny dug through the pockets of her skirt, finally producing—exactly as she had said—the missing tool. A matte finished L-wrench, made to fit in the box. Ruby blinked at it, then her eyes widened too. 

"You've had it the whole time?" 

"It's _my_ Item, Father said he found it in my hand the day after he activated me. I didn't know _you_ had a toolkit!" 

"I didn't pull it out at Vital..." Ruby mumbled to herself. She looked up again to find Penny beaming, offering her the wrench. Ruby took the wrench, turned it over with delicate fingers, then sized it up to the toolkit. She started moving all the tools down one space in the box, to where the empty loop had been; sure enough, when she slipped it into the now open first loop, it fit inside perfectly. 

"That's crazy... and just off the top of my head I _know_ that this would fit Crescent Rose's—" 

Before she could finish, Penny leapt at her. Her knee sparked but she ignored it, too busy pulling Ruby into a tight hug. 

"Oh!! It fits!! Ruby, I'm so happy, our Items match!!" Penny cheered. Ruby hugged back loosely, face turning pink, and stumbling over her words. Penny quieted and pulled just barely away, taking Ruby's face into her hands. Her voice became worried. 

"Ruby? Are you okay? Are you upset?" 

"No, I—" Her voice broke, was she crying? Clover couldn't see from where he was dusting himself off, not one to pry into their private moment. Ruby gently shook her head, then smiled. 

"I'm just... at a loss for words, I guess. I'm happy though, because I..." 

"Hey! Is everyone okay?!" 

Yang was dashing towards them, Qrow and Weiss hot on her heels. As soon as Weiss saw the crater she came to a stop, drawing her blade and summoning her knight and some glyphs to start repairing the damage. Yang and Qrow had their weapons on them too, Yang kneeling down next to Ruby and Penny to inspect the damages. 

"We were patrolling nearby and heard the news. Is everyone okay?" Qrow asked immediately. His eyes kept flitting to his niece and her friend, seeing them still on the ground. 

"Everyone's fine. Funny story, actually, Penny forgot to refuel because she was excited to see your niece today. She just fell, Ruby was doing some quick first aid." 

Qrow let out a tight breath, turning to Clover with soft eyes. Clover ignored the fluttering in his chest, but he couldn't help touching where he kept the feather. Items that completed each other wasn't unheard of, but what could Qrow have, _if_ he even was Clover's soulmate, that a feather could complete? Jeez, he was starting to go soft with the whole thing. Clover shook his head, then opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Yang yelling. 

"You two are soulmates?!" 

"Yang!" Ruby whined. "Don't just say it out loud!" 

"But that's great! Especially cuz you never stop talking about how much you li—" 

"Shut up!!" Ruby yelled back, slapping her hands over Yang's mouth. Penny just looked between them with a confused expression on her face. 

"Ruby? I've never seen you hit Yang before, are you okay?" 

"She's fine, she's just embarrassed 'cuz she's in lov—" Yang _started_ drawing out the word, but Ruby stammered over her and then shoved her shoulders. Yang cackled as she went down, easily catching herself with both hands. 

"Stop teasing me about it! I can say it myself!" 

"Then say it!" 

"Say what?" 

The three girls kept bickering, Ruby barely doing anything to defend her own honor and Penny just becoming more and more confused. Qrow huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes at their antics. 

"I should probably go stop them before Ruby turns as red as her cape. Clover. Thanks for keeping an eye on them, can you call Pietro?" Qrow gave him a pat to his shoulder, and then stepped over to break up the three bickering girls. Weiss had completed reconstruction, pausing to sign a few autographs before she joined her team as well. Clover watched from afar, listening to them laugh together. Even though Qrow's touch was fleeting, it still lingered on Clover's skin. He thought about what he'd said to Ren. Maybe he wasn't as disbelieving as he thought he was. It _would_ be just his luck if Qrow _was_ his soulmate. But in all honesty, what were the chances of that? There were so many people who could relate to a feather. Clover shook his head, he'd been thinking for too long, and set about to calling Penny's father. But still, the thought of his feather was filed away for later, to think about as he fell asleep that night with Qrow's calloused hand fresh in his mind. 

* * *

**3: Holding More Value**

"Spread out, kill any Grimm you find, and make sure the citizens are safe. Report all injuries ASAP! I've already called the nearby hospital!" 

Robyn's voice boomed, loud and clear, followed by an equally clear affirmation from her Happy Huntresses. The three women immediately dashed off in opposite directions, weapons at the ready or hands free to help civilians. Qrow nodded to Blake and Ruby, and the two sprinted away as well to find and protect more people. 

"Robyn! You know if we're gonna get reinforcements?" Qrow called up to her. She hopped down from the hood of the random truck she'd used as an impromptu stage, landing heavily in front of him. 

"I wouldn't doubt it, this is Atlas' perimeter wall."

Qrow had been on patrol with his nieces by the wall when the explosion went off. Rushing to see the damage, Grimm had already taken advantage to ravish the city. Luckily, there hadn't been any fatalities due to the explosion or the Grimm dashing in, and Robyn's team was also in the area for a campaign event, so the response was immediate. Already the workers nearby were scrambling away to safety. 

"Any idea what caused this? Sabotage or an attack?" Qrow asked. She shook her head. 

"It looks like it was just a malfunction in machinery. They were doing repairs, but we can't rule out foul play right now." 

"Better safe than sorry," Qrow agreed. Robyn nodded in once, and the two took a quickly look to find where they were most needed. Before they could get too far the sound of a helicarrier made them look up. Atlas Military. It was small enough to land near them, the door opening so Winter and Clover could crawl out of it. 

"Robyn. Thank you for your swift response," Winter said immediately, coming up to the woman to shake her hand. Qrow noticed that their hands lingered in a hold longer than needed, but didn't say anything about it. Clover came to stand near him, also _closer_ than needed, but that wasn't a bad thing. His arm was warm.

"What's the situation here?" Clover asked. 

"Machinery exploded, unclear if sabotage or not. Robyn's Huntresses and my nieces are already out there finding civilians and killing the Grimm that broke through," Qrow explained. Clover nodded, then tapped his earpiece to immediately start requesting medical aid in addition to the soldiers on their way. 

"We have a second carrier coming to set up defenses outside the wall so we can get construction back under way. I'll open a full investigation as soon as we clear the area of Grimm," Clover said. Robyn nodded at that but said nothing more, a scowl on her face as though she was dealing with more Atlas military than she wanted to today. Admittedly, if it was anyone other than Clover and Winter, Qrow would have felt the same way. 

Robyn turned back to Winter, her expression softening, then started to move away. She didn't get far, her hand being gripped a little harder so she couldn't even try to tug herself away a second time.

"Hold on." 

Winter pulled the brooch from her tie and handed it to the other woman. She pressed it into Robyn's palm, curling her fingers around the red gem inlaid in bright silver. 

"Winter, what..." 

"It's my Item. Take it." 

"As soon as I'm out of range it'll return to you." 

"I don't care. It's the symbolism of it. I want _you_ to return to me too." 

Qrow had never seen Robyn flush, even gently, in the short time he'd known her. She looked at their joined hands, and then with her free one reached into her belt. She produced a coin from it, shining copper, and offered it up to Winter in return.

"A trade then. I'll see you once we've solved this." 

Winter gave Robyn a look, brows raised, like she was expecting something. Robyn delivered, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to her lips. 

"So demanding of me. I have a job, you know." 

"You can take a _moment_ to assure a worried citizen," Winter said, giving Robyn's hands another squeeze as she pulled away. "That is in your job description." 

Robyn rolled her eyes. Still, she tucked the pin into her belt where her coin was pulled from, and pat the spot lightly. One more long look lingered between them. Robyn was the first to break away so she could join her Huntresses in the city, and address the people with calming words and assurances. 

Qrow rolled his eyes at them. He took his cue though, turning towards the direction his girls ran off towards. 

"I'll go with you," Clover suddenly offered. Qrow's head snapped to look at him. 

"Don't you have to be here, lead the troops?" 

"No need. Vine and Harriet are coming with the next ship. Besides, we are partners, it's good to spend time together."

Qrow shrugged. Where he once would have shoved Clover away and gone off on his own, he now welcomed the company. "Suit yourself. Thought I'd hardly say this is 'spending time together.'"

"Doing missions doesn't count?" 

"It's 'cuz it's professional." 

Clover chuckled. They started off towards where Blake and Ruby had run off to, drawing their weapons on the way. Most of the Grimm in the area had been eradicated, so they made quick work of the stragglers and started looking for any wounded civilians. Along they way, the met with Qrow's nieces, glad that their report consisted of only two injured people already on their way to a hospital a couple broken windows. Otherwise, no damages. 

The rest of the Atlas troops rolled in soon after. The Happy Huntresses had regrouped at the site of the explosion and were helping Vine and Harriet fend of the rest of the Grimm outside the perimeter wall. With the smoke clearing, and finding the damage to be pretty minimal, the negative energy in the air dissipated enough that Grimm stopped swarming. Once Harriet had destroyed the last group that advanced, it was easy to set up a guard so the builders could get to work patching the hole. 

Congratulations were exchanged, Ruby and Blake high-fiving, and Robyn reunited with Winter. They stood closer than before, holding hands, and were talking lowly to each other. It wasn't Qrow's conversation to hear, so he turned to Clover instead, but not before noting that Winter's brooch was still securely pinned to Robyn's belt.

"Glad that was an easy mission." 

"Me, too. And that no one was seriously injured. Those windows on the other hand..." 

Qrow huffed a laugh at him. He tilted his head slightly, hands on his hips. 

"What're you thinking about?" 

"My report to Ironwood. We'll have to increase security for a few days until the breach is fixed, but we'll have to start a formal investigation into it just in case. If an attack like this is in response to the election..." 

"If there's anything we can do to help, just say so," Qrow offered. This time, he reached out first, putting a hand to Clover's arm. He let it linger, probably longer than he should have, and cursed internally at how quickly he pulled away. Clover's eyes followed his hand, before flicking up to meet Qrow's. 

"This is kind of off-topic, but do you believe in soulmates?" 

"Is this about Robyn and Winter?" Qrow asked. He hummed to himself at Clover's nod, then shrugged. 

"I don't know. Summer and I were in love despite our Items not being a pair," Qrow said, looking down at his hand. He turned it over, examining the white ring on his ring finger, noting that Clover's eyes at fallen to it as well. 

"We got matching rings instead. We were never married—she passed before we decided if we really wanted to or not—but it was close enough." 

"That's... unexpectedly cute of you," Clover said with a smile. Qrow's eyes darted away and he raised his hand to rub at the back of his head, bashful. 

"So if this ring isn't your item, what is?" 

"You're not asking all these questions because you want to try trading, are you?" Qrow accused. 

"Caught red-handed." Clover put his hands up. "I can't lie, I've been thinking about asking you quite a bit recently." 

Qrow spluttered again at the bold declaration, his cheeks burning about as red as his eyes. Still, he could see Clover's cheeks warming too, as he put his hands down and looked away with an awkward chuckle. 

"But, only if you want to." His voice was sincere as he said it, eyes too as red met green. Qrow at first gave him agitated frown, not sure how he wanted to respond, but then his expression softened and he let out a sigh. 

"With all your flirting I was wondering when you'd ask," he finally settled for. He took a small step closer and tilted his chin up a bit, but his next words were interrupted. 

"Qrow!" Blake called. Ruby was waving over at him, and the two girls looked ready to keep patrolling. 

"Duty calls..." he mumbled, but not before flicking Clover's pin with a finger. 

"Lucky you I was thinking about this too. Let's talk later." 

With that promise, Qrow took quick strides over to his nieces. Blake was eyeing him knowingly, in that way she did where her face betrayed nothing but her eyes said she knew it all. As Ruby raced on ahead Qrow met Blake's look with narrowed eyes and a shake of his head. _Say nothing._ That pulled a smirk out of her. _Sure, sure._

He'd hear about this from Yang later. He just knew it. 

* * *

**4: Missing, and Unsure**

Breakfast was good, but breakfast with his team was even better. It was the one time of day where they could check in with each other, where they weren't exhausted from a hard day of work or rushing to their next meeting. Most days they got to have breakfast together before their briefings, but sometimes someone was missing due to a day off or a mission. It was rather strange to have _three_ of his team gone, but Harriet and Elm were on a mission together, and Vine was definitely taking advantage of his day off to sleep for way longer than the suggested eight hours a night. 

"Morning, Marrow," Clover greeted as he sat down across from the youngest on his team. Marrow's tail perked a bit, wagging subtly in his presence. 

"Good morning, Captain. Sleep well?" 

"For the most part. You?" 

"A little restless." 

Marrow shifted in his seat, his tail stilling, and swirled the mug in his hands. He had a half-eaten muffin in front of him as well, and some animal crackers. Clover leaned forward onto his elbows. 

"You always devour your animal crackers first. Is something bothering you?" 

Like a child caught stealing cookies, Marrow's eyes widened almost comically. He hunched his shoulders up and looked away, gripping the mug in his hands. 

"Marrow, you can tell me if something's bothering you. I may be your boss, but when we're off-duty I can be your friend, too," Clover said, his tone soft. Eventually Marrow's shoulders eased with a deep sigh from the younger man. He started down at his mug, resolute, with just enough sadness evident on his face that Clover could see it in the deep lines of his frown and under his eyes. 

"How do you... this is kind of a weird question to ask my _boss_ I guess, but... how would I go about telling someone I like him?" 

Clover raised a brow. He leaned back in his chair, tilting his eyes up to the ceiling as he thought about how to respond. After a moment of silence (no, he was _not_ trying to figure it out, thank you very much), he said, "depends on who it is." 

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense," Marrow agreed with a nod. His tail was swishing back and forth, not wagging, but definitely not still. 

"Anyone in particular?" Clover asked, but quickly added, "you don't have to name anyone if you don't want. 

Marrow laughed to himself at first, but the small sound got a little louder after a second. 

"I think... at least I really hope... well, it's just kind of embarrassing," Marrow said. His tail stopped moving behind his chair, hands holding his mug tightly. Was he shaking because he was nervous? Or because he was holding it too tight?

"I like Jaune. And I hope he's my soulmate. But I don't know how to go about saying that to him."

Clover took a long sip of his coffee. He should have guessed Jaune immediately. So Marrow was in the same boat, huh. What a funny coincidence. Clover didn't know much about Jaune or his Item, but he didn't seem to have traded with anyone amongst the teams. Though, he'd seen how the two interacted. Over the few months RWBY and JNPR had been in Atlas, Jaune had gone from being mildly annoyed with Marrow stealing his coffee and awkwardly interacting both on and off the field, to voluntarily bringing Marrow a fresh cup and openly seeking him out for conversations and training. He hadn't seen Marrow be this interested in anyone before, if his quickly wagging tail when around Jaune had anything to say about it. 

"To be honest, I think soulmates just means someone who compliments you. You don't need an Item to tell you if you match," Clover finally said. Marrow perked up, blue eyes wide and hopeful.

"You think I should just tell him?" 

Clover couldn't help but laugh. "Marrow, I think _you_ think you should just tell him." 

"Thanks for the push, at least," Marrow grinned sheepishly. He swirled his cup in one hand, then slammed the entire thing back and stood quickly. 

"I'll see you for the morning's meeting. Wish me luck, Captain!" 

_________________

Clover flicked through documents on his scroll with one hand. In the other he held a fresh cup of coffee and a few tea cookies carefully balanced on a plate. Ruby, Oscar, Ren, and Nora hadn't returned from their mission yet, but Weiss, Blake, and Yang had, and had already filed their reports. Based on the conversation earlier that morning, Clover had been kind and put Marrow and Jaune on the same team for the day. But their mission required three people, so he'd sent Qrow along. Clover trusted the man to pick up on any hints Marrow gave pretty quickly, it wasn't like his youngest teammate was inconspicuous about anything.

As he was rounding the corner to the hallway leading towards his office, he heard voices. Quick to register Marrow's first, Clover pressed into the wall. No doubt Marrow would smell him, maybe he should just keep walking...?

"I already found my soulmate..." 

Oh. Oh dear. Clover couldn't help but peak out at them, thankful that even though Jaune was facing towards the corner he was hiding behind, his eyes seemed to be focused on Marrow and Marrow alone. Still, at the words, Marrow's tail drooped visibly, but Jaune spoke before Marrow could say anything else. 

"She's the reason I'm here. Cinder... Cinder killed her. I couldn't do anything to save her. She always wore this gold circlet, it was her Item. When she died, it was the only thing left of her's, and even though I tried to give it to her parents it kept coming back to me. With their permission I welded it into my shield, to honor her. She taught me so much."

"You really love her, huh."

"She's my inspiration. She motivates me. But I think..."

Marrow's tail couldn't help perking, but quickly sagged again. Clover leaned back around the wall, thinking hard to himself. Should he step in? Or let them talk it out? It was probably better not to interrupt them, these conversations were important. But he couldn't just watch Marrow be rejected like this. 

"I mean, I believe in soulmates. And I think your's is still out there, somewhere—" 

"It's okay, I get it. I'm sorry I said anything. We can just forget this happened and stay friends." 

"That's not what I was going to say—" Clover heard footsteps coming towards him. He was already a few steps away from the corner when Marrow's feet stopped moving. It sounded like he was pulled back, or Jaune had shuffled forward. Either way, it was safe to assume Jaune had grabbed his wrist or arm.

"I was going to finish by saying that I don't mind _trying._ _"_

"You... don't?"

"I like training with you, I like working with you. I like when we get breakfast together. Being with you takes my mind of Pyrrha like no one else does. And honestly, I like _that_ too. So... um, I guess, what I'm trying to ask is... do you wanna like... go out? Sometime? With me?" 

Clover laughed lowly to himself, rounding the corner now that they had sorted this out. He caught a glimpse of Marrow leaning in closer, before Jaune jumped back and immediately went to attention. Marrow followed suit with a heavy pout on his face. 

"At ease, Huntsmen," Clover greeted with a bit of a chuckle. Part of him wanted to wink at Marrow but he couldn't give himself away.

"Captain Ebi," Jaune said in response. His cheeks were flushed, but he admirably powered through not being able to hide it. 

"You two off to train together?" Clover asked. Jaune looked away, and Marrow, if he even tried to stop it at all, let a wide smile spread across his face. Clover raised an eyebrow, which made Marrow go sheepish again. If Clover hadn't known any better, he'd had assumed he just caught them about to pull a prank.

"Something like that," he answered. Jaune nodded along. 

"Well, don't let me keep you. You're free to go," he relented. The two said their thanks and scrambled off; as they turned the corner, Clover caught Marrow pulling Jaune's hand into his. With a little shrug and a grin to himself, Clover continued on his way. 

"Listening in on a confession's in bad practice, Lucky Charm." 

Clover almost threw his afternoon snack at Qrow's voice. The man was leaning on the wall around the next corner, arms crossed and a leisurely smirk on his lips. He pushed off the wall and took Clover's plate of snacks, snatching up one of the checkerboard cookies and biting it clean in half. 

"I should say the same to you." 

"Please, I only showed up when you called them to attention." 

Clover shook his head with a laugh. "If you overheard from there, you wouldn't know it was a confession." 

"Touché," Qrow conceded, popping the rest of the cookie in his mouth. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Clover wondered if Qrow noticed how close they were, bumping shoulders every couple steps. If he did, he couldn't help but wonder if Qrow was doing it on purpose. As they stopped outside of his door, Qrow turned to face him. 

"So your offer the other day. About trading Items."

"Now's a good time to talk then?" Clover asked. Qrow offered another hand, taking a sip of Clover's coffee when it was given to him; Clover rolled his eyes at Qrow's teasing smirk while he keyed open the door to his office and let them in. 

Once they'd placed their load on Clover's desk, he leaned against it and addressed Qrow, maybe too eagerly. With his hands free, Qrow pulled a necklace from his collar. The leather cord was worn, tied in a tight knot behind his neck. Hanging from it was a white cross, looped to the cord by one of the short side arms, and an antique iron key. It was simple, a little rusted, with a round bow and a short shank. If Clover had to guess, it would have been used for an old clock that needed to be wound. 

"Ironwood's having me do a recon mission for him so I'll be gone for a couple of days. Now's as good a time as any," Qrow spoke as he untied the knot. He pulled the key off, holding it up for Clover to take. Once it was in his palm, he looked over it, feeling the weight of it. It was smooth, almost like Qrow rubbed at it with his thumb like Ren rubbed his charm. 

"I'll take good care of it," Clover said. He unbuttoned the top of his jacket and reached into the inner pocket, exchanging Qrow's key for his feather. When he held it up, a strange looked passed Qrow's face, but it was gone as soon as it came. 

"It's a crow's feather," he said. Clover let him take it, watching him turn it over in his fingers. 

"Red and black..." Qrow muttered, then tilted his eyes up at Clover. 

"Let's see what happens. We'll talk when I get back." 

"Sounds like a plan," Clover agreed. Qrow's eyes lingered on him a little longer, then he turned and exited the room with a swish of his cape.

"Qrow." 

He paused at the door, looking back. Clover tossed him another one of the cookies, his lip quirking up when Qrow caught it easily with two fingers. 

"One for the road. Be safe out there." 

"No promises, Cloves," Qrow shot back, but it had little bite to it. He was gone a second later. 

If it was a mission for Ironwood, Clover couldn't check how long he'd be gone. Still, he felt like he didn't need to. The next morning, the kids were without Qrow, indicating he'd already left; and Qrow's key, his Item, still sat snugly where Clover's feather once resided. 

* * *

**5: Six Objects**

"Hey, Captain?" 

Yang popped her head into his office. He was looking over reports at his desk before she peeked in, a small break would be nice. Clover and began to stretch and shake out his wrists. 

"Hi, Yang. Come in." 

She did as she was told, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. She didn't have her weapons with her, prompting him to check the time; he should have kept a better eye out, it was almost dinner.

"So you traded Items with my uncle," Yang cut straight to the point. She was leaning against the door, hands behind her back, but her eyes were dark, just barely turning red. Clover hesitated to call it a threat. A warning, more like. _If you're his soulmate, and you hurt him, I'll destroy you._

"Did he tell you that?" 

"Didn't need him too. He had a feather pinned to his vest when he left yesterday, with all the flirting of course I figured it was your's." 

"Observant," Clover said, watching her lips turn up in a smile at the open praise. 

"I know. Uncle Qrow had to get it from somewhere," she threw a wink. Clover chuckled at that. 

"I like him," Clover admitted after a moment. "I assume you're here to tell me that if I hurt him you're going to break my bones?" 

"More than that," Yang confirmed. She continued, "Ruby too. And Nora. Everyone would get together to kick your butt. He's our uncle. He takes care of us and looks out for us. We love him. He's been through so much, we _all_ just want to see him happy." 

"He never has to tell me if he never wants to, but I can tell he's been through a lot in his life. I mean it when I say I want to support him, and that I want to make him happy too." 

"Good. I can tell you mean that. But now you have to convince six other people. Hm, seven. You might as well convince Oscar too. Or, maybe eight, though I don't know how much Winter would care—"

There was another knock on the door. Clover nodded, and Yang turned around to pull the door open and reveal Weiss and Blake in the hallway.

"We're going to be late to dinner," Blake said. Weiss was standing behind her, scribbling something in a black notebook. As soon as she was done, she pressed it into Blake's free hand. 

"Right. We're just finished our convo anyway, so we can go," Yang answered. She took Blake's free hand in one of hers, and offered her other up to Weiss. Clover figured she winked as she said, "m'lady." Weiss rolled her eyes, only betrayed by the fond noise she made, and took Yang's hand. Blake giggled at their exchange. 

"Enjoy dinner, you three," Clover called after them. Yang tossed a grin over her shoulder at him. 

"Sure thing, Uncle Clover!"

The door slid closed behind them. Uncle Clover. Despite himself, he felt heat rising to his cheeks. Even though he was alone in his office now, he couldn't help but cover his face. The key was still tucked in his pocket. Somehow that made the monicker feel all the more real. If Qrow accepted him, if Qrow returned his feelings and wanted to be _more,_ Uncle Clover was a nickname he could get used to. Maybe. Uncle Clover. When was Qrow supposed to get back? 

He was stuck on it for so long Elm had to bring him dinner. 

* * *

**+1: A Fair Trade**

"It didn't return." 

Clover perked instantly at Qrow's voice. He'd had been leaning out one of the balconies, overlooking the grand, snowy city, honestly hoping to see Qrow's helicarrier fly in since he hadn't seen him all day. His cheeks were pink, but that was probably from the cold, too. Qrow approached him, feather raised in one hand. As he came to lean against the balcony next to him, Clover easily put an arm around Qrow's shoulders and pulled him closer. 

"This okay?" 

"Warmer than nothing. Where's your jacket?" 

"I haven't been out here that long, I was waiting for you." 

"So..." Qrow started, ducking his head. Every exhale was accompanied by by a misty breath from his nose. It was frigid out, to be able to see their breaths that clearly. 

"So. Soulmates," Clover offered. Qrow nodded. He leaned a little more into Clover, resting his head on his shoulder, still turning the feather over in his hands. Clover pulled Qrow's key out from his breast pocket, and held it up next to the feather. Their knuckles brushed. Qrow's hands were freezing. 

"Soulmates," Qrow agreed. He watched their hands as Clover wrapped what he could around Qrow's cold fingers, finally having some mercy and taking the key with a snort. 

"What are we gonna do then?" Clover asked. His thumb brushed over Qrow's absently.

"I don't know. Admittedly I never thought I'd find who mine was. At first I thought it was Ozpin, but he never let me leave the key with him. I figured out after a while he probably knew we weren't a pair, so I dropped it. But then I thought it was Jimmy, because it's an iron key. I slipped it into his pocket once before he left Vale; when it came back barely an hour later I just kind of gave up," a pause, then, "but then here you are."

"Fate can be unpredictable," Clover said. He leaned his cheek against Qrow's hair, hand running up and down his arm. "But lucky me that it threw you in my path." 

"Would you's still want me even if your feather had returned?" 

"Would I have flirted with you that openly if I didn't?" 

"Touché," Qrow snorted. He let his hands drop, still holding the feather, and closed his eyes. 

"Do you actually believe in soulmates?"

"Honestly, no," Clover murmured, his hand stopping at Qrow's shoulder. He continued, "a lot of people used to ask me to trade. It got annoying, fast, and I just started thinking that needing an item shouldn't matter. You love who you love. You and Summer are proof of that. Marrow and Jaune too. But the more I saw how your kids interacted, I started thinking it would be nice to try, just once, of my own choice. You're the first person _I_ picked to trade Items with. If it hadn't stayed it just would have been a kind of roundabout way to ask you out." 

"Next time just be more direct, Items could have come later," Qrow said.

"Why weren't _you_ being direct?"

"I..." Qrow paused, thinking. He looked at the two trinkets in his hand, and where Clover's thumb was still absently brushing over his. Taking in another breath, he continued, "I honestly didn't know if you were just flirting for fun or not. When I realized you were serious it kinda... rekindled something, I guess, and I wanted to ask about your Item. We just had so much going on I couldn't figure out a good time to ask."

"I'm glad I asked first then." 

"Me too." 

The cold was starting to set into his bones. When Qrow realized Clover was shaking, he pulled out of his hold and took his hand, dragging him back inside. As they walked aimlessly, their fingers easily intertwined. 

"You know, keys are also considered a lucky charm," Clover pointed out to break the silence. 

"Oh yeah?" 

"They're said to bring safety, so they're good to keep around." 

"Makes sense another lucky charm would be your Item." 

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to hold onto it," Clover said. They had stopped in a vacant hallway, with only empty meeting rooms behind the doors. Qrow pulled the key from his pocket. He regarded it for a moment, then pulled his hand from Clover's so he could go about slipping it into the pocket he used to hold his feather. 

"As long as I get to keep your feather," Qrow answered. As soon as he buttoned Clover's uniform back up, he went about pinning the feather back to his lapel. 

"You don't even have to ask," Clover chuckled. "It looks good." 

Clover brought his hand up to smooth over the feather. It was strange, where it once was tattered and torn seemed healthier. The tip was still a little frayed but it wasn't nearly as worn as before. Qrow reached up and caught his hand to hold it again. The other cupped his jaw. Their eyes met. Clover didn't need more of an invitation to lean in and kiss Qrow gently. It was soft, a press of lips to lips, and it barely lasted more than a few seconds. It felt like an eternity. Just right. He smiled into the kiss, pulling Qrow even closer with his free hand. 

He was fine with their Items leading to this. Even if his feather had come back to him the day that Qrow left, Clover still would have asked him to try. Love was love, and Items didn't matter, that much was true. It was just a lucky coincidence their Items happened to be a pair. But, being lucky was his thing, wasn't it? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: the idea for Penny's Aura comes from copper oxidizing. So unlike other characters who's Auras stay the same color even into shattering, Penny's goes from a bright copper color when full to more and more green as it takes damage, until she runs out of reserve and it breaks on her. As it recharges, the process reverses, so her Aura goes from green back to copper ^^
> 
> Also, at the note about Summer and Qrow having matching rings/considering getting married, I like the idea of Qrow being Ruby's father because there's a RWBY AU I've been planning for about two years and want to start writing this year (probably not finish, but I want to start!!) where he's her father, and when Summer died, Tai took Ruby into custody because so many awful things happened at one time. In that AU, Summer and Qrow _were_ married, so I think in this AU, it was one of those things where Summer probably was okay with a poly relationship between herself, Tai, and Qrow (Summer and Tai probably had matching Items too, which is why she and Qrow got the matching rings), but they didn't know how to go through with it or address it for one reason or another. Maybe what Tai and Qrow felt for Summer they didn't feel for each other? Or there was just something holding Qrow back from loving/marrying both of them and in the end he never followed through with plans even with Tai because it didn't feel right without her? I'm just kind of rambling at this point, but I feel like it could be a really interesting thing to explore, I just didn't have the time lol Maybe next time! 
> 
> Also I didn't get to showcase Bees Schnees' items, because all three of them are soulmates, here they are:  
> Yang/Blake: A pair of gold earrings! They're larger than comfortable for either to wear, so they melted them down into the gold fix for Blake's katana.  
> Weiss/Yang: Weiss' item is a scrap of the same red fabric that lined her S1-3 jacket, so Yang keeps that tied with the purple one at her ankle. She's also wearing her own Item, a gold ring that glints like fire in some light, which she received from Weiss when they reunited at the bandit's camp.  
> Blake/Weiss: Blake's Item is a black notebook with "see me for who I am, not what I am" in her current handwriting on the first page; she and Weiss exchanged it often in Beacon after they reconciled in S2. Weiss's Item is a blue ribbon with her emblem printed along it that Blake hid for obvious reasons. Currently they keep it in the notebook as a bookmark, but when Blake was in Managerie she had it tied to her wrist as a bracelet.  
> Monochrome realized they were soulmates before Bumblebee and Freezerburn, but Blake was the first to suggest a poly relationship and it happened to work out from there lol I heavily debated Weiss not being soulmates with either of them but I love Freezerburn/Monochrome too much lol 
> 
> Thanks for reading all the way down to here. I know it was a long long long oneshot for this week, so I hope that it was worth it! I'll see you guys tomorrow for the Comfort prompt ^^!


	5. Day 5: Comfort (aka, Oh, Now THIS is a Story.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I slacked the last two days cuz I was busy trying to get home from TX, so I wrote these chaps on the plane ride back haha I had I a lot of fun coming up with dumb stories for these idiots so I hope they're humorous enough lol
> 
> Edit: Switched the tenses somewhere in the middle, just read through and fixed them to be correct lol Sorry about that wwwww

"What about this one?" 

"Oh, that? A Beowolf just got a lucky hit at the end of a fight." 

They were together in Qrow's dorm, laying across his bed chest to chest with Clover comfortably between Qrow's legs. Clover's fingers had been absently flitting over the scars along Qrow's bare arms and torso for the better part of an hour, asking about any particular ones he found interesting. His first ask was about one just under Qrow's clavicle, "got it in a bar fight," was his answer, and the story that came with it was so interesting Clover just couldn't help but keep asking. 

Some of the Qrow didn't want to talk about, so Clover didn't push him. His fingers had brushed over the one straight across his stomach, but Qrow caught his hand to stop him. 

"Where's this one from?" 

"Callows is a bitch." 

Clover had snorted at the answer, but still laced his fingers with Qrow’s.

"Glad we have him locked up. Does it hurt?" Clover had asked.

“A little bit, sometimes.”

Clover leaned down to press a kiss to the puckered skin, but moved on without any more questions. Then he'd asked about the Beowolf scar, leading them to here. 

"A lucky hit?" Clover asks, gently brushing over the scar at Qrow's upper arm. 

"Yeah. I'd been fighting for a while, got pretty worn down. An alpha jumped me from behind and I wasn't fast enough to kill it before it touched me. Only wound in the whole fight though," Qrow tells him with a grin. 

"You certainly are proud of these," Clover mumbles. He leans up as best he can to press a kiss to Qrow's shoulder, down his arm, then moves back to rest his chin on Qrow's chest. Qrow flushes a pretty pink, a soft expression on his face. 

“What else am I supposed to do, mourn them? They didn’t kill me.”

“What doesn't kill you certainly makes for a good story. What about this one?”

Clover thumbs over another one, just under Qrow’s rib on his other side. Qrow gasps gently at the gentle touch, though his eyes narrow when Clover does it again. Clover smirks at him but removes his hand, putting it up with feigned innocence in his eyes.

“It’s fucking stupid,” Qrow says with a sigh. Clover raises an eyebrow for him to continue.

“So the first time I did a backflip—“

“Oh this is already a story.”

“It gets better. It was back with my old team, in our second year. And I was like ‘I’m gonna do a backflip,’ so Tai agreed to teach me. We spent an hour or two figuring it out, and when I finally got the guts to do try it for real, Tai didn’t guide my feet right in the air.

“So I go down, and don’t ask me why we were doing this in our dorm and not in a training room, and land _hard_ on one of the game controllers laying around.”

“Oh my god,” Clover breathes, hand in front of his mouth, though he’s not trying to cover his giggles at all. Qrow continues.

“Raven and Summer come into see me wheezing on the floor, and at first I insisted I was fine, but then Raven nudged me in the side and I stopped breathing. The next thing I knew Summer was next to me in the general hospital nearby. She told me I’d broken two of my ribs and punctured a lung, and they had to do immediate surgery. Needless to say, haven’t done any backflips since then.”

Clover’s shoulders sake in silent laughter, his hand still over his mouth. Qrow rolls his eyes and says, “that’s probably one of the more stupid ones, other than the time I broke my toe stubbing Summer’s desk, or the time I dislocated my shoulder spinning a staff for a performance.”

“Tell me about that one.”

“TL;DR of it is I threw a stick too high in the air and my Semblance made it land right on my shoulder when it came down.”

“Your Beacon years sound crazy.”

“Oh, like you didn’t do anything stupid in the Academy?”

Clover rests his chin against Qrow’s chest again, just above the base of his ribs.

“We’re all straight-laced soldiers. No time for fooling around.”

“Come on. You’ve got to have at least _one_ story.”

A sigh, then, “okay. I do have one. But it’s not entertaining like your backflip.”

“I’m sure it’ll still be amusing. Tell me.”

“Let’s see. It was my second year, and me and a couple of friends decided, we’re young and in college, let’s act like it and climb the on-campus comm tower even though it’s heavily guarded. At the time I already was in the student council, so I said I could try to use that as an excuse to check it. At eleven PM on an a Friday night.”

“I already know where this is going.”

“No. Because here’s the thing. My friend who suggested it—I found this out later—had collaborated with one of the guards. Because he knew he could get me, I was the council VP at the time, the secretary, and a couple of the other top kids in the same room, and he wanted to see us absolutely _terrified_.

So when we went to the building, we were confused why there was no one there. It was too easy to get inside, but when we found the door up it was locked. We couldn’t pick a keycard scanner, and with no one around we couldn’t convince them to open it for us.

Then, all of a sudden, the lights go out. Not so bad, we pull out our scrolls and get the flashlights on. We make it back to the front door, only to find it locked. Now, here, we’re starting to panic a little because _clearly_ they just closed the building and we shouldn’t be in here, and we know we’re gonna get in trouble when they find us the next morning. There’s about five of us total, but as we start looking around for another way out, we notice our guy is gone.

So we’re here like, ‘shit, where’d he go? Do we stay here by the door in case someone comes by and can get us out? Do we go look for him?’ While we trying to decide we hear a scream from back by the door to the roof.

So we book it back because it was _definitely_ our friend, and we thought he was being attacked and though _none of us_ had weapons we figured we could do something. Someone already called the military to come investigate, and I was leading the charge which was my fatal error.

I turned the corner back to the keycard door and suddenly got hit in the face with that like string spray stuff. I panicked; everyone saw me waving my light around in front of me, and the string just ending up everywhere. But here's the thing, I'm a lucky guy, so I was _fine_. But the secretary rounds the corner and runs into me flailing, gets hit in the face, slips on some string and goes down. There's this awful _crack_ and the guard stops spraying me. 

The guard turned the lights back on and pretty quick after that the military we called showed up. We all got in trouble, but not for sneaking around, no, it was because when the secretary fell he fractured his skull and ended up with a concussion. Ended up not being serious in the end but damn was it scary." 

"'Not as entertaining as my backflip,' you said!" Qrow parrots, throwing his head back as he laughs raucously now. He shook so much from his laughter Clover has to sit up and move away from him. 

"You shouldn't laugh at the misfortune of others," Clover teases. Qrow wipes an eye, finally calming down enough to breath. 

"No, it was—it was the image of you flailing around with Silly String in your face! I wish I could have seen it!" Qrow cackles to himself after speaking, reaching out for his scroll. Clover watches him start a new group chat, only catching Harriet's contact being added into the chat before Qrow covers it with his fingers. 

"I'm so going to get the Ace Ops in on pranking you." 

"Qrow. Are you sure you want to do that?" Clover warns, waving a finger. His boyfriend's eyes are _gleaming,_ no doubt he already had a few plans in mind. 

"You don't know when. You don't know how. But we will get you." 

"Better stay on your toes then, I _will_ pay you back," Clover vows, grabbing his own scroll to start a group chat of his own with all of Qrow's kids. 

About two weeks later, Ironwood himself has to put an end to their prank war when it involved almost every Atlesian Paladin defending the perimeter getting slathered in Silly String and neon spray paint. 


	6. Day 6: Atlas Ball (aka, Qrow in a Dress, Please!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter before I wrote the last one, so somehow that ended up in present tense and I was too lazy to change it to past lmao I'm sorry for the switcheroo y'all www

Sometimes, dating Clover was hard. With his family in Vale and his boyfriend in Atlas, Qrow often found himself torn between both places. He still had all his usual running around to do, now a freelance hunter since his teaching job was far behind him, but splitting his time away from work between two separate homes basically boiled down to which end of Vale he ended a job closer to at the time.

Sometimes he just ended up doing jobs in Atlas for weeks at a time, so he could do missions with Clover. Qrow was not an Ace Ops member, but Ironwood favored him; the general was kind enough to send Qrow on their missions when he knew the bird was in town. He also knew this made Clover endlessly happy, so he scheduled one or two more free days for his top team.

It never went unnoticed, but definitely went unsaid, only because they all knew Ironwood wouldn’t admit to any of it.

Qrow found himself in Atlas this time, between jobs. He’d already alerted Tai and the kids he’d be up there for a bit, and had alerted Clover. He wasn’t big on surprises, and Clover texted him and Tai enough anyway there was no way he’d make it incognito enough to surprise Clover anyway.

Clover greeted Qrow when his helicarrier from Vale landed. Qrow let himself be pulled in for a quick kiss, smiling against Clover’s lips.

“Hey, handsome.”

“‘Hey, handsome’ yourself,” Clover answered. He stole another kiss before finally letting Qrow go.

“Rest of the team is busy?”

“Already turned in for the night, we have an early mission tomorrow. You can come if you want.”

Qrow laced his fingers with Clover’s as they started heading towards Clover’s dorm. Being in the Ace Ops had perks; even though Clover still had to live within Atlas’ main military base, at least he and the rest of the team got individual rooms. ‘Rooms’ was an understatement, they were more like full studio apartments, complete with a bathroom, living room space, and small kitchenette. Qrow liked the shared space with Clover. When in Vale he had a room in Tai’s home when he wasn’t camping, so having the small apartment to himself and his boyfriend was a welcome break. He loved his nieces to death but they could get _loud_ playing video games with their dad.

Clover opened the door, and Qrow immediately went in. He leaned Harbinger on the wall by the door—she could be put away properly later—and flopped down on the couch.

“Long day?” Clover asked, coming to join him. Qrow moved his legs so Clover could sit, only to promptly lay them down over his lap.

“I came straight here from another mission. Almost missed my ride ‘cuz Glynda made me re-file my last report.”

“She works you hard, huh.”

“Between her and Ironwood, I don’t know who’s worse. They’re perfect for each other,” Qrow snorted. Clover had set about pulling his shoes off to massage his legs and feet, earning a contented sigh from the other hunter.

“Too bad she never says yes to his invitations,” Clover mused. He took care with how hard his thumbs pressed into Qrow’s tense muscles. He said absently, “You need to stretch more.”

“You know the Atlas Ball doesn’t hold interest to her. The day she comes to one is the day I get lucky without you near me.”

Clover hummed at that. Qrow shifted a little to put one leg up, nudging Clover’s hip with it. When he met Qrow’s eyes, there was a mischievous little glint in them.

“Though, speaking of the Atlas ball.” He sat up, leaning his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand. Clover shifted to face him, hand pausing just above Qrow's knee.

“You’ll be here for it, right?” Clover began. A smile played at Qrow's lips, small and devious.

“Yup.”

“If that’s the case—“

“So I wanted to ask—“

The two produced invitations at the same time, Qrow’s from his back pocket and Clover’s from his jacket. The two paused with their invitations half-handed over, eyes flicking between the envelopes and up to each others’ faces. A surprised look spread across Qrow’s face and Clover was the first to laugh. He clutched at his stomach and almost doubled over, and Qrow tried to look at least annoyed but he couldn't help it when the laughter was just a little contagious.

“Were you planning on asking me to the Atlas Ball? Tonight?” Clover finally asked, wiping a tear.

“You were planning the same thing! I wanted to beat you to it!” Qrow said, offering the invitation up again. Clover gladly took it, exchanging it for his. They had the same ones, crisp white with bold navy lettering and a silver embellishment, detailing the date and time and that they could bring a +1.

“Maybe we both should just invite Glynda. If she gets three letters she can’t turn them down,” Qrow teased. Clover scoffed and shook his head.

“That’s harassment. Why don’t we invite your nieces? Weiss and Penny will probably be there, and if Weiss invites Blake then the whole team could come.”

“I like that idea. I’ll call my girls tomorrow, see if they’d wanna do that.” Qrow offered a softer smile. Leaning against the back of the couch, with lazy eyes and that warm expression, he looked so relaxed. Clover felt pride swell in his chest at how far Qrow had come, from being reclusive and broody to being so open with him.

“We should probably head to bed,” Qrow said to interrupt his thoughts, enunciating the idea with a yawn. Clover caught it, standing with a stretch and offering his hand out.

“Gonna come with us tomorrow?”

“You’re gonna wake me up at five AM for it, do I really have a choice?” Qrow took the hand offered to him, allowing himself to be pulled up. He stumbled into Clover’s arms; Clover easily lifted him clean off the floor, and though Qrow rolled his eyes he didn’t protest.

“I can be quiet. It’ll be an all-day thing.”

“Let me see how I feel in the morning. Right now I just wanna use your pecs as pillows.”

“Go for it, they’re all your’s,” Clover said with a wink, and deposited Qrow on the bed. Shortly after, they were curled up and drifting off to sleep. But, just before Qrow could drift off, Clover had to say one more thing.

“Hey, Qrow?”

“Hn?”

“We should get matching outfits.”

“Sure. I’ll show up dressed as Glynda, you show up as Jimmy. Then it’ll be like they actually came together.”

“Let’s save that idea for the next costume party,” Clover snorted at that, and cuffed the back of Qrow’s head gently. It earned him a tickling nudge to his side that he squirmed away from and Qrow snickered at.

“And hide my beautiful legs from the public? Or do you just want them all to yourself?”

“Maybe a little. I bet Weiss would have fun if you took her dress shopping.”

“Add that to my list of things to ask. I’ll send a pic of whatever she and I decide on so we can match,” Qrow promised. He draped his hand across Clover’s waist and snuggled a little closer.

“Lights out, Cadet. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Love you,” Clover whispered.

“Love you too,” Qrow murmured, before drifting off comfortably in his boyfriend’s embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m a fuckin weirdo that catches yawns from media, so if I draw/write/see someone yawn I catch it and yawn too. I caught both Qrow and Clover’s LmaO
> 
> Also ABSOLUTELY Qrow wears a dress to the Atlas Ball. Idk what it would be but I’m thinking long skirt with thigh slit to show off The Leggy. Team RWBY ends up in Atlas a couple days early so they all end up shopping with him, he has so many pics and vids to send to Tai and Glynda, but the dress he ends up picking is probably Blake’s suggestion with Glynda's approval lol Tbh debating if he makes a statement of combat boots or heels but part of me is like “cape and heels for maximum DRAMA.” Clover absolutely has heart palpations because Qrow’s too hot and Elm has to help him take a seat lmao RWBY slaps fives for operation “make Clover die of heat stroke” accomplished. 
> 
> I should have just made this the fic but that's something I'd want to draw more than write cuz every sentence would just be "Clover got caught on Qrow's exposed thigh again, and found the only thought running through his head being: Leg. Hot. Qrow's leg. Bare. Very sexy."


	7. Day 7: Free Day (aka, Birds+Glass=Bad.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were a lot of AUs I considered for this, based off songs and memes and tropes and other such things but in the end I went for Free Day because I really wanted to write about Qrow slamming into a window lol 
> 
> I'll still mention it though, because I thought it would be fun, one of the AUs I was considering is a Youngblood MV AU, where Qrow and Clover have gotten married and grown old together, and elect to take a pill to die at the same time. However, they are given 24 hours to relive the best parts of their lives together. I really love the music video and that concept, but I already put a ton of stories in their mouthes during Day 5: Comfort, so maybe next time haha

A bird slamming into the truck's window and then turning into his boyfriend was not how Clover envisioned this day ending. 

He and Qrow had gone to investigate a Faunus smuggling ring with Winter's help. They busted it easy enough, as they were prepared for the people running the ring to be armed. However, after he and Winter had evacuated most of the Faunus, some of them were separated by a collapsing wall and Qrow, with them, had to lead the small group out from the second floor. 

Winter used her glyphs to help Qrow get the captives down safely, while Clover helped lead them into the van and reassured them. As he was telling them that they were in Atlas care now and would immediately be brought to a hospital, the building behind him went up in flames. 

Clover blanked out completely. Winter's insistent shoving was the only thing that turned on his autopilot. But once he was sitting in the van, his ears ringing from the explosion, his mind started _reeling._ Qrow was still in the building. Winter had the last two people with her and was thrown, the landing rough, but Qrow hadn't made it out. He was still inside when it exploded. Deities. They hadn't even tried to get him. Winter could probably see him panicking. Was she yelling at him? Was he even speaking? He couldn't hear over his heartbeat—

A loud _thud_ right in front of his face interrupted his rapidfire thoughts. Winter slammed on the breaks and Clover focused just long enough to see a man tumble off the hood of their van. Clover cursed out loud and followed Winter as she exited the vehicle. 

A bird. He _knew_ they hit a bird, so where had Qrow come from?

Said hunter lay in the snow in front of them, groaning. His Aura was flickering black around him, on the verge of shattering but still barely in tact. His clothing was charred, especially around the ends of his pants and cloak, and his eyes were dilating when he opened them. He seemed dazed, taking his sweet time to register them. 

"Cloves? Win'ner?" he slurred. Winter checked Qrow over briefly, then looked up at Clover. 

"We need to get him to the hospital, with the others. From the way his eyes are dilating it looks like a concussion." When Clover didn't move, she called his name, voice stern. 

"Right. Yeah." Not wasting time, he scooped up Qrow in his arms, careful for any other injuries, and piled into the back with the rescued Faunus. His thoughts were still racing, how had Qrow survived? How had he become a bird? Winter was driving about as fast as he was thinking. Thankfully, some of the Faunus in the back with him had taken to talking to Qrow to keep him awake. He needed it and Clover certainly wasn't up to the task.

* * *

"My head hasn't hurt this bad since I last had a hangover," Qrow groaned. He let his head lull to the side, grimacing as it probably started swimming again. 

"Just take it easy, the doctor said you need some rest," Clover said, relief too clear in his voice. He'd left Qrow in the hospital's care while he helped Winter get the Faunus they'd rescued into care, and filed an official report to Ironwood. As soon as he was free, Clover rushed back to Qrow's room to check on him. He was glad to see him awake after everything it seemed like he'd been through. 

"Water?" He offered. Qrow took it gratefully. 

"Small sips. We don't want you to get any more nauseous. 

"Thanks. I'll be good," Qrow said. He placed the water down near him, toppling it almost instantly. Luckily the cap had been on, so he merely shrugged and muttered, "oops." 

"Are you up to talk?" 

"I'm _up,_ " Qrow answered with a shrug. "What're you thinkin' about?" 

"What happened in there? I swear I saw the building explode while you were inside. I really thought you died." Clover leaned a little closer, taking Qrow's hand again and squeezing tightly. Qrow returned the gesture, though more mild. 

"I jumped out the window and turned into a bird. My pants caught fire though, and while I was panicking about if my tail feathers were burned Winter smashed me into the window of her car." 

"So I—that really was—I did see that bird we hit turn into you?" Clover said, stunned. His eyes blew wide. He couldn't believe it. Maybe _he_ was the one with the concussion and this was all a dream. 

"Yeah. Wanna see?" 

"I don't think that's a good idea—" 

Yes, he wanted to see. Yes, he also thought it was a horrible idea. And he was _right._ Qrow stretched his arms and sat up in the bed. Then, suddenly, when Clover blinked, instead of a man sitting there, was a ruffled crow curled just beneath the pillow. It—well, _he,_ the bird was _definitely_ Qrow, was breathing quickly and looking quite dazed, glossy eyes barely moving. Clover didn't dare reach out and touch. Qrow's head tilted just slightly to look at him. But then, in another blink he was back to human, groaning to himself as he passed out against the pillows. 

* * *

"You sure you're going to be okay?" 

"Doctor said I could have left yesterday if I wanted to," Qrow said with another easy stretch. Ruby had stopped by with Winter earlier on in the day to bring him new clothing, he'd been in the same pajama gown for the three days he'd been at the hospital, and he was _tired_ of it. 

"I'm fine, Cloves. Deities, you're so worked up, it was just a little bonk to the head." 

"I really thought you were going to be declared comatose," Clover sighed, putting his arm around Qrow's shoulders. "And when you passed out after becoming a bird—"

"After I did _what?"_

"You transformed into a bird." 

"I—I did that?"

"Yes? You said you used the ability to save yourself and then Winter hit you with the windshield while driving," Clover explained, looking over Qrow's wide eyes and slack jaw. It would have been comical if he didn't seem so concerned with something he'd done while delirious. 

"I meant to show you, Clover," Qrow started. Clover shook his head, pecking Qrow's lips to stop him from rambling. 

"Don't make me get you checked again, rambling's a sign of a concussion," he chided. Qrow snorted at that, and shook his head. 

"I really did mean to tell you though. That I can do that. And I didn't mean to run into your windshield, it was supposed to be all cool and classy." 

"Lucky that you've got plenty of time now, since the general probably won't clear you for duty for another week," Clover teased.

"We can try this again then. Leave your window open when you get home, I'll visit you and show you how I planned to _actually_ tell you," Qrow promised. He grinned up at Clover, leaning up to steal another kiss from him. 

"I'm looking forward to it." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this, it's the end of Fair Game Week! I'm really sleepy, but I might add more to this little bit later so for now it'll be considered complete but watch in the next couple days for an update ^^
> 
> Thank you for joining me, I'm sorry I had to post three on the last day (even though this one was an hour and a half late!), but I still hope you enjoyed these! I had a lot of fun, I'd love to participate in another week again soon! See you next time, Fair Gamers!


End file.
